Wearside League: West End rocked by cup woe

After a damaging defeat at Stockton Town which may well have ended their championship hopes, they crashed out of the Wearside League Cup at the hands of leaders Redcar Athletic on Saturday.

Barry Turton’s eighth-minute strike raised their expectations, but once they conceded twice in four pre-interval minutes, Anth Nelson’s side were second-best.

Andy Jennings scored twice, taking his total for the season to an impressive 41 and, in the second half, further goals flowed from Michael Woodhouse (2) and Lewis Wood as Redcar ran out 5-1 winners.

To round off a miserable afternoon, West End had David Keithley dismissed with 20 minutes remaining.

Redcar will play Richmond Town in the semI-final. The Yorkshiremen and Spennymoor Town Reserves produced a cracking tie which remained goalless after extra time.

An equally exciting penalty shoot-out ensued and Richmond came out on top 5-4.

Stockton Town remain on course to replicate last season’s magnificent achievement when they won the title and the three domestic cups.

On Easter Monday, they lifted the Monkwearmouth Cup and will now play Cleator Moor Celtic in the last four of the League Cup.

Sonny Coleman, with a brace, and James Ward led them to a 3-0 victory at Boldon CA.

Cleator Moor Celtic completed a quick double over Hartlepool. Following a two-goal victory in the previous game, they doubled the margin on Saturday courtesy of Adam Telfer (2), Terry Wilkinson (og) and Luke Close.

In the league, which is now sponsored by TWR Bi Folds, Murton are still without a win after going down 3-0 to third-bottom Wolviston, whose matchwinners were Luke Bennington, Junior Masandi and David Johnson.

Seaham Red Star Reserves are sandwiched in between the pair. Despite taking the lead with an excellent free-kick from Mark Ruddock, they succumbed 2-1 to rival strugglers Prudhoe Town, who took the points with second-half goals by Kieran Russell and Andrew Fletcher.

Annfield Plain improved their position in the bottom six with a fine victory over Ashbrooke Belford House.

The hosts looked home and dry when they led thanks to Jamie Leathard (2) and Aaron Wilkinson, going into the second half.

But Ashbrooke mounted a spirited rally and Nathan Burrell’s brace threw the outcome wide open at 3-2, but Annfield held on.

Horden CW scored in the last minute of each half to see off Silksworth CW. Paul Moss nodded in Robert Taylor’s 45th-minute corner and, right on time, Matthew Hughes sealed the points at 2-0 when he fired past Graeme Pickering in a breakaway.

Jarrow defeated Leam Rangers for the second time in seven days.

The previous week they enjoyed a five-goal away romp, but they had to settle for 2-0 this time, courtesy of Grant Pressling and Stephen Graham.

There was no shortage of goals at Whitehaven, where all 11 were credited to the Cumbrians.

Harton and Westoe conceded three in the first half and eight in the second when they played the entire 45 minutes with 10 men following the dismissal of Josh Jones.

Nicholas Holden, Jack Hunter, Lee Woolf and Matthew Perry scored twice, with Craig Robson, Bradley Dryden and Kevin Holliday also on target.